Well, the Houston Rockets could certainly use Donatas Motiejunas now.
Starting center Clint Capela, a 22-year-old on the rise under head coach Mike D’Antoni, will miss the next six weeks after suffering a broken fibula, per Fox 26’s Mark Berman:
NBA sources confirm #Rockets center Clint Capela suffered a broken fibula. He's expected to be out about 6 weeks.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 20, 2016
Capela expanded on his injury, also per Berman:
Clint Capela (@CapelaClint) suffered a broken left fibula when he was injured in the #Rockets win over Minnesota Saturday. pic.twitter.com/6Qdxt9LeXQ
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 20, 2016
The Houston Rockets have surprised just about everyone by emerging as the third-best team in the Western Conference. Capela’s absence won’t bilk them of that standing without question, but life without him won’t be easy.
Houston’s defense allows more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, but he can be a valuable rim protector when he’s not playing behind Ryan Anderson. He’s also the team’s best pick-and-roll diver.
Nene will be able to step up in his absence, but the Rockets won’t want him logging much more than the 16.8 minutes he’s averaging per game; he’s not built for that. Montrezl Harrell has found himself inside D’Antoni’s rotation of late, as both a power forward and small-ball center who doesn’t shoot threes, so his role will expand as well.
Beyond that, expect to see the Rockets test out Anderson at center for slightly longer stretches. The move will trigger defensive implosion, but that kind of spacing could make the offense even more dangerous, so long as Houston carves out enough effective rim-running.
